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T-34
The''' T-34''' was the most-produced tank of World War II. When the German Wehrmacht first encountered it in battle in 1941, German tank generals von Kleist and Guderian called it "the deadliest tank in the world." Soviet tank divisions formed the hard-hitting core of their mechanised corps. They were armed with a mix of tanks with the best armed based around the new T-34 tank. The new T-34 tanks were issued to a number of tank divisions in the mechanised corps, and the Germans began to run into them within the first few days of the invasion. The T-34 caused the Germans to often avoid direct engagement with this well-armoured tank and powerful 76mm gun. The fast-moving T-34 tank was the mainstay of the Red Army's tank force throughout the war. Entering battle in 1943, the improved 1942 model fought in every major engagement for the rest of the war. Despite improvements in enemy equipment, its 76mm gun was still adequate to deal with German medium tanks like the Panzer IV, especially as the T-34 outnumbered them two or three to one. After encountering the Tiger and Panther tanks at Kursk, it was decided that the T-34 needed to be upgraded. This was done by creating a new turret that allowed an extra crew member to be added and replaced the 76mm gun with an 85mm gun, creating one of the most successful tanks of the war. With a three-man turret, the commander was free to command the tank, leaving the operation of the gun to his gunner and loader. Overview When their speedy, but lightly-armoured, tanks suffered heavy losses in the Spanish Civil War, the Soviet tank designers built a replacement with thicker armour and a bigger gun - the T-34. Entering production before the German invasion, this tank continued to fight throughout the war, becoming the most-produced tank of the Second World War. Lighter, faster, and cheaper than the KV-8, the OT-34 flame-tank mounted the ATO-41 flame-thrower in place of the hull machine-gun. Oddly, the flame-thrower was fired by the driver and relied more on its fearsome nature than accuracy for effect. The tank retained the 76mm gun of the line tanks, giving it the capability to operate as a gun tank if necessary. The 76mm gun T-34 came in four basic production models: * Model 1940 - with L/30 76mm gun; * Model 1941 - the main gun has been replaced with L/41,5 variant, which improved the tank's combat abilities; * Model 1942 - the turret has been enlarged and given a hexagonal shape, though the tanks from Chelyabinsk Tank factory had more cast-like turrets - due to twin hatches in the turret top, this model is nicknamed "Mickey Mouse"; * Model 1943 - which has been given a commander's cupola and a couple of minor improvements. After the Prokhorovka Battle in July 1943, the T-34 has been upgunned with an 85mm gun, creating T-34/85. The new variant replaced T-34/76 in production lines until late 1944, though the 76mm gun tanks were used till the end of the war. In Flames of War T-34/76 The T-34 tanks are the standard Soviet medium tanks. They are deployed in T-34 tank battalion (in both periods of war) or as a part of Mixed Tank Battalion (with heavier KV-1). They have Anti-Tank value of 9 and Firepower 3+, surpassing most of the German Mid-War tanks. Their armour is also superior - front armour 6 and side/rear armour 5 make them formidable opponents for infantry, lighter guns and Panzer III tanks. Their only drawback is poor skill ratings - those for Mid-War are Confident Green with Last Stand 3+ and are hit on 2+. In Late-War, the skill ratings improve - now the crews are Confident Trained and are hit on 3+. T-34/85 The improved D-5T gun gives the T-34/85 the Range 32”/80cm, ROF 2, AT 12 and FP 3+. Apart from the frontal armour improved to 7 and Cross increased to 3+, the tank shares the stats with older T-34/76. Model kits Metal/resin: *SBX06 T-34/85 obr 1943 Platoon Plastic: *SBX29 T-34 obr 1940 Company *SBX30 T-34 Tankovy Company Model assembly Metal and resin sets Those models only require to glue the threads and the bow machinegun to the hull, attach the gun barrel to the turret, supplement it with hatches and the model is ready for painting. Fenders and external fuel tanks can also be attached as optional components, as well as commander's figurine. Plastic sets The plastic T-34 model comes with both T-34/76 and T-34/85 turret options. Kits sold since 2018 contain parts for two 76mm gun turrets (M41 and M42/43) and the 85mm gun turret. Despite claiming that the model "has been designed with high-precision computer-aided design technology", the assembly might be troublesome for a beginner modeler due to thick sprues holding the parts. They require careful cutting with a modeling knife since clippers might damage the parts when too much force is used. * Carefully cut the hull halves from the sprue using a modeling knife. Use the knife or a file to gently scrape away any excess plastic. * Run a line of plastic cement around the top of the hull bottom piece. The hull top piece has raised lines to help ensure correct placement. * Press the hull top and bottom pieces together. Note the locator slots for the tracks - two for the left and a single one for the right track. The tracks have corresponding tabs, so you can't put the tracks on the wrong sides. * Glue both tracks in place using plastic cement. Cyanoacrylate might also be used, if you feel confident with it. * Cut off the top and bottom pieces for both turrets. Try cutting them close to the turret sides under a straight angle. * The 85mm turret will most probably be left with nubs of excess plastic feed from the sprue. Carefully trim these away with your craft knife. Don't worry if the edges of the turret top pieces are a little messy; real T-34s had a prominent weld bead along this line, especially those built during the war. * Apply plastic glue around the top edge of the 85mm turret bottom piece and press the pieces together. Again, don't worry if this join is a little messy - the model is supposed to depict the war-time technology of producing turrets in the Leningrad Tank Factory and in Chelyabinsk. * Repeat the process for the 76mm turret. * Select the mudguards for the model. The rounded mudguards were common on T-34/76 tanks and T-34/85s from the 1944 production, though it will not be a mistake, if straight mudguards are mixed with rounded ones - Red Army's field workshops often repaired tanks using all the available parts. * Glue the mudguards in place, taking care to ensure they are straight. * Carefully clip off the exhaust pieces. Apply a small amount of plastic cement to each locating hole and press the exhausts into place; you may want to use tweezers for this. * Clip off the bow MG, starting from the gun barrel. The stubbier piece next to it is for the flamethrower variant. * Apply a small amount of plastic cement to the locating hole'' ''and press the MG into place. * Clip off the 76mm gun mantlet and glue it into place on the front of the 76mm turret. Painting Soviet tanks used in WW2 were most commonly painted deep green overall, called 4BO in official Russian sources. Some units did use camouflage patterns, though it was not a common practice. Tank turrets were usually adorned with tactical numbers, company/battalion/regiment markings and slogans written in Cyrillic; tanks from Guards Tank Regiments had the Guards emblem painted (a red Soviet star inside a golden wreath and with a red flag). Regular red Soviet stars were more common on Lend-Lease tanks than Soviet-built ones before late 1944. During the Battle of Berlin in 1945, the Soviets painted white bars and rectangles on turrets for aerial identification. During the winter, a whitewash was commonly applied to tanks as a mean of camouflage. Suggested paints: Primer/base colour * Battlefront Tankovy Green* * Army Painted Army Green* * Humbrol H86 green * Citadel Base Castellan Green* * Citadel Caliban Green * Citadel Waaagh! Flesh* The asterisk (*) indicates colour tones close to 4BO tone. Details * any steel metalizer (for exposed metal parts and threads) * any tone of brown (for camouflage patterns) * Citadel Base Ceramite White (whitewash, winter camouflage) Combat efficiency T-34/76 Coming soon. T-34/85 Coming soon. Image gallery T34_01.JPG T-34 assembly.JPG resin T-34_85.JPG T-34 1218 (1).JPG T-34 1218 (2).JPG SBX06a.jpg SBX30-Back.jpg SBX30-Cover.jpg|The SBX30 box front. SBX39-14.jpg SUAB09-19.jpg SUAB09-20.jpg Category:Soviet Category:Tanks Category:Tank Teams Category:Armoured Tanks Category:Mid-war Category:Late-war Category:Formations Category:Support Category:Under Construction